NEW DELHI: With parts of Delhi experiencing heatwave conditions for the past five days, 43-year-old Afsana, a pavement dweller near Nizamuddin flyover, is finding life so much tougher now. Her family of four has no means to beat the heat even as access to drinking and bathing water is also difficult. "Due to the heat and heavy volume of vehicles, the pavements remain hot till late at night. We are unable to sleep till after midnight. Mosquitoes are another issue," said Afsana, a mother of two.
Recognising the plight of people like Afsana, NGOs said that the government took many measures for the homeless in winter but ignored them in summer when they were equally vulnerable. Ashok Pandey, campaign coordinator, Housing and Land Rights Network, said, "Summer brings trouble for the homeless people. They have problems regarding clean drinking water, inconvenience of toilets and baths, mosquito outbreak and the scorching sun. Our demand is that the government make toilets free in summer, make provisions for water and shelter in vacant government buildings for the homeless and their inclusion in food security."
